In today’s shrinking economy and increased competition, it is more and more imperative that an attorney take major steps to attract clients. Even those who believe that their deeds should speak for themselves are feeling the pressure to find ways to make sure their deeds are known to the client masses.
Whether it is seeking ways to get a pre-conceived, stylized marketing message out, or merely trying to find ways to ensure that day to day results or reputations are on people’s minds, the key is to find ways to increase exposure at minimal cost. Oftentimes, our clients also have points of view that they want transmitted, and use the courts or legal systems to seek their own exposure. However, whether litigants or attorneys, some people seem to take the quest for exposure down an entirely different path. Defendant Holly Van Voast, for example, was recently the toast of New York’s Midtown Community Court. Van Voast, a professional photographer, is a longtime supporter of visual imagery, and is often outspoken. It was only recently, however, that she took her visual persuasiveness and quest for exposure to court.
Charged with disrupting the peace at New York’s Grand Central Station, Van Voast arrived in an elegant black coat, but then quickly doffed the same to expose her topless physique. The Honorable Rita Mella was neither moved nor impressed. A quick glance to Van Voast’s 89-year-old court-appointed lawyer, confirmed he had not orchestrated the display and was flabbergasted by it, so Judge Mella gave the topless defendant the opportunity to avoid a contempt charge by apologizing. Van Voast reluctantly accepted and acknowledged her actions were “a little out of line.” (Van Voast was in court to face charges of stripping in Grand Central Station to protest public nudity prohibitions.)
A New Hampshire man did not wait to get to court before exposing the nitty gritty of his complaints. After becoming involved in a minor traffic accident, Jared Hooper allegedly exited his car, approached the other vehicle, and began pounding on the driver’s window while yelling. The female driver refused to lower her window or respond. Apparently feeling the cloistered driver was not receiving his point adequately through vocal means alone; Hooper stopped his pounding and stripped off all his clothes. He was still naked when police arrived. Released on $750 bail, unlike Van Voast, there are no indications that Hooper showed up in Court in similar garb when his case was later called to trial.
Not to be outdone by their clients, some attorneys also have joined the naked frenzy. Terry Lee Locy, for example, was arrested after authorities say he challenged his live-in girlfriend to a naked sword duel, and then left the house – naked – with the sword. Locy, a defense attorney in Titusville, Fla., had graciously presented his significant other with a sword before drawing his even bigger one himself. Ultimately, no charges relating to his undressed status were filed, although the possession and threatened use of the medieval weapons did lead to other charges. It is unclear if his increased “exposure” led to increased business.
However, lest the world get the wrong impression of the legal profession, there are those who stand up for the clothed members of the profession and instead expose the misguided among us: such as attorney Steven Eggleston. Eggleston sued his firm for harassing him after he refused to attend a law firm sponsored nude retreat. Eggleston claims he was suspicious when his boss insisted he attend a weekend male-only retreat, but would not tell him what would occur once he got there. Internet research revealed the camp specialized in “bonding rituals,” including walking blindfolded through a forest and talking about sexual histories. Eggleston claims that, when he declined to attend, he was picked on and ultimately had his compensation cut. It is not known whether Eggleston’s moral stance helped him land clients once his suit against the naked employer hit the newsstands or whether he had a place to hang his shingle once the phones started ringing.
Our Courts are often filled with the serious adjudications needed to police our society – the murders, assaults, rapes and burglaries that plague our society. Other times they are filled with complex civil matters – RICO, ERISA, ANTITRUST, SECURITIES FRAUD. Still other halls of justice entertain the day to day disputes that befall the typical citizen – personal injury, divorce, or trespass. The attorneys who pursue and defend all of these actions play an important role in the maintenance of society, and it is their continued ability to earn a living while doing so which keeps their skills available to those in need. So next time you hear about the efforts attorneys are taking to garner needed media exposure, take a minute before you criticize. After all, there are a lot more troubling types of exposure they could be seeking ... and that’s the naked truth.
© 2011 Under Analysis,. LLC under analysis is a syndicated column of the Levison Group. Charles Kramer is a principal of the St Louis based law firm, Riezman Berger, PC You may direct all your comments or criticisms about this column to the Levison Group c/o this paper or direct via email to comments@levisongroup.com.